News from across the College

As well as the tell-tale signs of decorations going up, the rolling out of Christmas advertisements has become a key moment for getting us all in the seasonal mood. And the competition to capture the festive spirit – and the customers that come with it – is fierce.

It's likely that Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) will remain intact regardless of which political party (or parties) prevails at the next General Election in May 2015. The jury's out on the extent to which LEPs have delivered on their remit to drive growth and create jobs.

Despite significant advances in our knowledge of how to diagnose and treat chronic liver disease, we are currently experiencing a global epidemic in cases. In Europe alone, 29 million people suffer from chronic liver disease, and this rapid upward trend is reproduced in England, where liver disease is one of the leading causes of premature mortality.

How democratic is arms-length government? Catherine Durose, Jonathan B. Justice and Chris Skelcher argue that those who consider it to be an undemocratic phenomenon over-simplify, and make the case for assessing the question in a more citizen and community focussed manner.